CEDAR RAPIDS – A man who sold a rifle during an undercover operation was sentenced on January 10, 2020, to more than one year in federal prison.
Charles John Cizek, age 41, from Waterloo, Iowa, received the prison term after an August 20, 2019, guilty plea to being a felon in possession of a firearm.
In a plea agreement, Cizek admitted that on August 9, 2018, he sold a rifle to a confidential informant who was working with police. Prior to the sale, Cizek and the informant discussed details about the transaction.
Cizek was sentenced in Cedar Rapids by United States District Court Judge C.J. Williams. Cizek was sentenced to 21 months’ imprisonment. He must also serve a three-year term of supervised release after the prison term. There is no parole in the federal system.
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN). PSN is the centerpiece of the Department of Justice’s violent crime reduction efforts. PSN is an evidence-based program proven to be effective at reducing violent crime. Through PSN, a broad spectrum of stakeholders work together to identify the most pressing violent crime problems in the community and develop comprehensive solutions to address them. As part of this strategy, PSN focuses enforcement efforts on the most violent offenders and partners with locally based prevention and reentry programs for lasting reductions in crime.
This case is also part of Project Guardian, the Department of Justice’s signature initiative to reduce gun violence and enforce federal firearms laws.
